The doctor emerged, and Wen Tingxue was the first to step forward, asking, "Doctor, how is my grandfather?"
Yu Wenli, who had been standing with his head bowed for a long time, slowly looked up.
His dark eyes were misty, devoid of any emotion.
His thin lips were pressed into a near-straight line.
The doctor removed his mask and sighed, "I'm sorry, we did our best, but Elder Yu's physical condition is not conducive to surgery. He can only rely on the machines for now."
The unspoken implication was that they could prepare for the funeral.
Yu Wenli froze for a few seconds, his eyeballs shifting slightly before he slowly lowered his gaze.
Yu Wenhe and Wen Jinyan remained unresponsive for a long time.
Yu Zhishu was the most composed. "Then when can we go in to see Grandpa?"
The doctor said, "Once he gets through the critical period today, we can arrange it tomorrow."
"...Alright."
Yu Zhishu nodded, then moved aside to call his parents.
As evening approached, Yu family's uncle and aunt arrived at the hospital.
The aunt had already been crying.
Upon seeing the family, she began to cry again.
Yu Wenli remained expressionless, seemingly unaffected by grief. While his parents and relatives embraced and wept, he stood nearby with his arms crossed.
He was as indifferent as a stranger.
But Wen Tingxue knew that he didn't cry, he wasn't sad, because he believed his grandfather wouldn't leave.
Perhaps, it wasn't belief, but an obsession.
The entire night passed, and no one left.
Seven people guarded the ward, as if their presence could ward off the footsteps of death.
Around eight in the morning, the doctor emerged after a brief visit to announce:
"The patient has safely passed the critical period. The nurses will arrange for you to visit at noon, but only one person can go in. Please decide amongst yourselves."
Everyone unanimously agreed that Yu Wenli should go.
Yu Wenli didn't speak, merely nodding slightly.
At noon, Wen Zhongen and Yu Xiuxiu came to deliver food.
Everyone ate very little. Yu Wenli barely touched his food, only drinking some water.
It wasn't until he was called by the nurse to change his clothes that he showed a flicker of spirit.
-
The ward.
Various machines beeped incessantly.
As Yu Wenli entered, Grandpa Yu had just woken up.
He lay on the hospital bed, his eyes slightly open. Hearing the movement, he sluggishly shifted his gaze.
His clouded eyes lacked focus, as if he were blind.
After a while, he recognized his grandson but couldn't muster any expression on his face.
He could only stare at him blankly.
Tormented by illness for these past months, Grandpa Yu had become gaunt and emaciated.
Now, he was also covered in tubes.
Yu Wenli squeezed his eyes shut with difficulty and forced a smile, "Grandpa, the plum blossoms you planted have bloomed. Yiyi took so many photos. When you're moved to a regular ward, I'll show them to you slowly."
Grandpa Yu stared at him, utterly silent.
No matter what he said, his grandfather maintained the same expression, fixed and still, staring at him.
It was as if he conveyed a thousand unspoken words, or perhaps, it was a form of reproach.
Yu Wenli continued speaking, pretending not to notice.
An hour passed in a flash, and the nurse called him to leave.
Grandpa Yu finally reacted.
It was difficult for Yu Wenli to use any single word or description to capture his grandfather's state at that moment.
If he had to say, it was like a person adrift at sea, finally spotting a piece of driftwood and desperately clinging to it with all their might.
Yu Wenli felt a sudden jolt in his heart.
The emotions he had deliberately suppressed surged over him like a tsunami.
He couldn't hear what the nurse was saying.
In the entire world, only his grandfather's gaze remained.
It was filled with pleading and hope, along with a sense of defeat brought on by illness.
The next second, all emotion vanished, leaving only an unspeakable awkwardness.
Grandpa Yu closed his eyes in despair.
A tear traced a path from the corner of his eye.
It moved slowly down his not-so-smooth skin, much like his current path, and the path ahead.
Yu Wenli watched numbly as the nurse turned his grandfather over to clean up the dark stool beneath him.
Without any dignity.
Emerging from the ward, his family surrounded him, bombarding him with questions.
He stood there, numb to his senses.
Like a wooden stake.
In his mind, images of his grandfather flashed by, from youth to old age.
From vigorous vitality to emaciation.
Until the night before last.
After Grandpa had said those words, he stubbornly, unyieldingly, insisted on sleeping alone.
He refused anyone to stay with him.
At the time, he thought Grandpa missed Grandma and didn't want them to see him cry.
But it wasn't that.
When a person is about to die, they have a premonition.
Grandpa had kept them outside because he wanted to go peacefully.
But what were they doing now?
Allowing those machines to invade his body, with the constant, cold beeping in his ears.
And his family, separated by a door, unable to see him.
Was this what he wanted?
Yu Wenli questioned himself for a long time.
Finally, he pushed past his parents and family, and stepped into the chief physician's office.
"What is it?"
Hearing the knock, the doctor looked up.
The slightly haggard young man sat opposite him. After a long silence, he said, "Pull the tubes."
The doctor blinked in surprise. "What did you say?"
This time, Yu Wenli answered quickly, his grandfather's gaze from moments ago filling his mind.
"I said, pull the tubes and move him to a regular ward."
"Do you know what that means?" the doctor frowned.
Yu Wenli said, "I know, and I am willing to bear all the consequences."
As he signed the last character, Yu Wenli had a sudden, unsettling feeling that he had personally killed his grandfather.
The doctor noticed his hesitation and said, "If you regret it, I can pretend this never happened."
Yu Wenli shook his head gently. "No need."
He slowly picked up the documents and handed them to the doctor.
Then, with heavy steps, he slowly walked out.
In the hallway.
Perhaps it was the image of his father holding his hand, walking slowly across the fields.
Perhaps it was his father holding him, crying uncontrollably, and coaxing him gently.
Perhaps it was his father patting his hand before he went to college, telling him not to worry about money.
Whatever it was, it would never happen again.
Inside the ward, cries were almost constant, but Grandpa Yu was smiling for the first time in a long time.
It was a different kind of smile than usual.
It was a genuine smile from the heart.
Full of joy.
Without pain.
The doctor's gaze deepened as he said to Yu Wenli, "Elder Yu's pupils have begun to dilate."
Yu Wenli nodded calmly.
His face showed no joy or sorrow, no tears.
It was a profound, almost ruthless indifference.
Until, in a final burst of energy, Grandpa suddenly sat up, his eyes bright as he stared intently at the doorway, smiling and saying, "Ayan, are you here to pick me up?"
He paused, his smile widening. "You've come too, haven't you?"
Everyone followed his gaze but saw nothing.
Yu Wenli's heart sank as he blinked and quickly walked to the bedside. He took his grandfather's slightly cool hand and called out, "Grandpa, Grandpa..."
Each call seemed to be an attempt to say all the words he hadn't spoken in the rest of his life.
Grandpa smiled and patted his hand, then took Wen Tingxue's hand and said, "Your Grandma and I will watch over you from heaven. If you dare to mistreat Xiao Xue, we will never forgive you."
Then, he took Yu Zhishu's and Song Ruining's hands, entrusting them, "Xiao Ning, our Xiao Shu has a bad temper and has been spoiled since childhood. You'll have to be understanding and accommodating in the future, otherwise, I won't be at ease."
Song Ruining, who had rushed back, nodded repeatedly, "I will be good to Xiao Shu my whole life, Grandpa, please don't worry."
"Good, good."
Grandpa responded twice, and his complexion seemed to improve.
He looked back at the empty doorway again, his voice like he was seeking approval, "See, I've done as I promised. The children have grown up, and the little ones have their own families. It's time for you to come and get me, right?"
As he lay back down, Grandpa was smiling.
His gaze slowly and deeply swept across each person's face.
Until he took his last breath in this world.
-
The funeral parlor.
When most of the friends and relatives had arrived, the mortician began the process of washing and dressing Grandpa.
Perhaps because they had already cried, the atmosphere was quiet.
Wen Tingxue, with swollen eyes and a heavy heart, stood at the front, watching as her grandfather's ashen face and haggard appearance were slowly transformed by the embalmer into the man she had first seen.
It was both magical and sacred.
As if nothing had changed.
In the evening, the adults were discussing the location for the memorial hall. Yu Wenli, uninterested, prepared to leave on his bike.
Wen Tingxue, afraid for his safety, insisted on accompanying him.
He first went to Grandpa's restaurant to do a quick cleanup.
Then he returned to the small courtyard and fell into a deep sleep.
Wen Tingxue discovered he was gone in the middle of the night.
She threw on a coat to find him, but saw him standing alone under the plum blossom tree through the window.
A fiery red glow ignited between his fingers.
She didn't know how long he had been awake, but there were already many cigarette butts at his feet.
And he stood there, head tilted upwards.
Perhaps looking at the flowers, or perhaps at the years that had passed beneath the tree.
Wen Tingxue didn't want to disturb him and watched him from inside the house.
She watched his eyes filled with sorrow, yet not a single tear fell.
Many people had cried today, even Uncle Yu, a man who rarely shed tears, had wept like a child.
Only Yu Wenli, who was closest to Grandpa and most reluctant to see him leave,
had not shed a single tear throughout the entire ordeal.